Despite holiday revelry, people are already rallying to aid of the three dozen neighbors affected by Saturday's fire.  You can even donate tonight on New Year's Eve!  The new Capp and 23rd Fire Victims Support Facebook page fills us in:

New drop off time added for 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. on Monday, 12/31, at 1050 South Van Ness Ave.

You can still drop off donations [tonight] (yes, New Year's Eve, 12/31/12) between 8pm-10pm also at 1050 South Van Ness.

On 1/2/13 or later, you can bring donations to 938 Valencia St. between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

As I said earlier, the Dolores Shelter Program will make arrangements to get these donations to the affected people as soon as possible.

And for those of you wanting to make financial contributions:

Folks, the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) has stepped up and will be accepting monetary donations for the tenants' relief fund. An electronic payment method will be up soon but until then you can send or deliver donations to 2301 Mission St., Suite 301, SF, CA, 94110.

More info on Facebook.

As 2012 comes to a close, it's time for blogs to reflect on what the last dozen or so months meant for people who read blogs.  And despite all the countless top ten features and banal breakdowns, Eater's tastemaker's survey on what the best dining neighborhood of the year often stands out.

Suffice it to say, the list has historically been less about what neighborhood was best and more about piling the well-deserved accolades on the Mission.  But 2012?  Well, 2012's list is most definitely about the Mission, but it isn't the usual shower of compliments to which we're accustomed:

Josh Sens, San Francisco Magazine: Obvious to say, but the Mission

Brock Keeling, SFist: Anywhere but the Mission.

Jonathan Kauffman, Tasting Table: Clearly, this is the year when Valencia Street jumped the shark. No, really, people: OPEN YOUR DAMN RESTAURANT SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Yikes!  Proposed restaurant moratoriums, now this?  Some even went so far as to say, “fffffffff can't we just start eating in Bayview or something?” (I'm paraphrasing).

Does this mean 2013 is the year all the foodies declare the Mission “over” and move to Oakland or whatever?

[Eater | Photo by Serena McClain]

He may only have three and a half stars on Yelp, but it could be worse…

[Photo by The Tens]

This morning, the Chronicle's banner fuddy-duddy graced us with his thoughts on the proposed temporary 1-year moratorium on new restaurants on Valencia.  As you might imagine, he knows it would be bad policy:

Consider the case of Noe Valley, which implemented a ban on restaurants and coffee shops in the 1980s. The concerns were the same: new food establishments would push rents to the skies, residents wouldn't be able to afford to go out to eat, and the street would turn into an upscale food court. And of course there was always the scary g-word - gentrification.

By 2010, Noe Valley residents were clamoring to repeal the moratorium and embracing the trendy food influx…

“It was no more bars and no more restaurants,” said Robert Roddick, president of the Noe Valley Merchants Association. “As a bar or restaurant would close, we would not issue another permit. We started losing taverns and restaurants.”

Quick fact check here: Valencia merchants have only proposed a 1-year ban on new restaurants overtaking retail spaces, old licenses can still be transferred.  After the year is up, restauranteurs can petition a community board to convert storefronts into eateries. This makes the strict, no-transfer 25+ year ban in Noe Valley largely irrelevant, but, you know, as they say in the newspaper business, “whatever.”

The clincher came when the [Noe Valley] merchants association conducted a survey of what improvements residents would like to see. Diverse restaurants topped the list.

The ban was lifted two years ago, and Roddick says the results have been “fabulous.” Not only has it encouraged new restaurants, it has restored healthy competition.

Again, the Mission isn't Noe Valley.  The Mission already has a diverse set of restaurants, the not “fabulous” part is that the artisanal gárbáge is displacing establishments the community actually frequents and can afford.

“Twenty-four years ago, when we bought our house, it was a dump,” [Noe Valley resident Deb Niemann] said. “Now I couldn't afford to move into the neighborhood.”

The same transition seems to be happening along Valencia Street. My guess is they will learn the same lesson as Noe - you can't put a moratorium on progress.

Considering the attitude of your audience, I'd say you're probably right.